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Need warm up advise

2K views 9 replies 10 participants last post by  ZootTheSim 
#1 ·
I noticed that I play/sound much better after a good warm up. Long overtones etc. (Surprise)

I searched around and googled for different warm up exercises. Found a lot. The one thing they all have in common is that they all strive to make you spend as much time as possible to warm up. "Long tones for at least 45minutes and then chromatic scales at 60bpm, four beats per note, for a minimum of 30mins. Any less and you shouldnt bother to play the sax in the first place."

So say.... I only have 1 hour for practicing and need to warm up as quick as possible to be ready to get the most out of my time?
Or I set up on stage, a quick line-check and then show time?
Or, crowded venue and no backstage or dressing room to warm up in?

Do you have any tips, techniques or cheat to quickly get in (best possible for the circumstances) shape for those times when you dont have the time to do a proper warm up session? Even better; something I could do to warm up without blowing in the horn? Like when Im in the car on my way to rehearsal or when I hide in the mens room before the show?
 
#2 ·
I also often only have an hour to practice. I have a set of exercises I do every day to warm up that takes me about 15 -20 minutes at most. I vary the tempo depending on how my fingers are working, and how much time I have, but generally slower is better.

1) arpeggiate all major 7th chords from root around cycle of fifths, then minor 7ths, then dom 7ths
2) long tones chromatically over entire range of horn (including altissimo)
3) Ex 1-01 from Pete Thomas's Taming the Saxophone (as he says in the book, if you are going to do only one exercise, this is it.)
4) a 1235 pattern I like from a Steve Neff book
5) 1235 chromatically up and down the horn over the entire range
6) if time, I will do pentatonic pattern in all keys over the entire range of the horn

(I also have a few other exercises I like that I will either add on if I have time, or substitute in just to change things up)

Then onto practice:
20 minutes of some technical exercises
20 minutes of improvising to irealpro backing tracks to try to apply some of what I'm shedding at the moment and to keep familiar with the tunes.

(I will expand these equally if I have more time)

For me, the the important thing was to find several exercises that I liked and that worked my fingers all over the horn in all keys. Having done them for years, I can go through my warmup pretty quickly. I also use it (or at least part of it) before gigs.
 
#5 ·
Yep, if you are practicing with such short time, just practice - and be aware of your sound always.
 
#10 ·
I've found myself in the same situation of having nowhere to warm up before a gig, with the stage in the crowded bar, and no backstage or green room. In that event, I try to blow lots of air through the horn before playing to make sure it's literally warm, and keep blowing air quietly during rests. A cold horn is an unhappy horn. Doesn't do much for my chops, but it helps with tone and intonation. I also subtone where it won't intrude just to get the reed vibrating.
 
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